A very technical 17km team time trial on the small island of Ischia. Sometimes this kind of stage can be a test of raw power and aerodynamics but this one is very different, a true test of a team’s ability to hold together.
It’ll be hard for Mark Cavendish (OPQS) to hold onto the jersey. His team are the World Team Time Trial Champions but in name only as not one of the winning squad from Limburg last year rides in the Giro.
Some races start with a prologue but the Giro has opted for a criterium-style opening stage on the Neapolitan seafront. But it’s no exhibition race, many riders will be sprinting for the stage win and the leader’s jersey that awaits.
To start the daily previews here’s Stage 1 with all the usual content such as the route, finish, TV timings and more, but also an overview of the sprinters in the race and where they can shine during the race.
We got confirmation today that the free video stream for the Giro will not be available for this year’s edition. It leaves fans looking for new channels and ways to watch the race.
It’s also symptomatic of a structural problem in the sport where different races are on different channels. Even the most loyal fan is left struggling with broadcast schedules, TV subscriptions and more. All this is hampering efforts to build the sport.
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There is space on here for one advert. The ad space for May is booked with a new sponsor timed for the Giro. But the summer of cycling continues and June and July are is available.
Sprinters and lawyers have more in common than you think. They’re often well-paid and they spend their time trying to squeeze through gaps and loopholes.
In recent days we’ve had news that the Omega Pharma – Quickstep team had been looking to hire Alessandro Petacchi. The Italian would make a useful addition to the team as a leadout man for Mark Cavendish. He is fast and experienced and if he’s not the victor he once was, there’s a career for a year or two spent in the service of Cavendish.
But cycling doesn’t normally allow mid-season transfers and if some reports said OPQS mechanics had even built a Specialized for Petacchi, he’s not moved yet. Indeed it looks like a potential loophole has been closed by the UCI, fearing the precedent could set by a mid-season transfer. But what if we allowed teams to trade riders during the season and created a transfer market?
With the race four days away, time to run through the list of contenders for the race. Bradley Wiggins and Vincenzo Nibali appear to stand above the others but fortunately there’s no script.
One big difference this year is amount of foreign contenders. In recent years the Giro has looked like the Italian stage race championships but now riders are coming from as far as Canada, Britain and Australia to win the race.
There’s a lot of focus on the likely re-election of Pat McQuaid for a third term as the UCI President. Rightly so because the job is an important one, both in terms of the political power but also the symbolism of being the boss of competitive cycling.
But I can’t help thinking there’s too much talk about the man and not enough about the job and the organisation itself.
The Tour de Romandie used to be a race where you got clues for the Giro but this time we saw a glimpse of July through the icy clouds. The last two winners of the Tour de Romandie have gone on to win the Tour de France. It’s a neat stat that doesn’t guarantee anything but right now Chris Froome is the obvious pick to win the Tour de France.
Organisers ASO have announced the three wildcard invitations for this summer’s Tour de France: Europcar, Cofidis and Sojasun.
It’s testimony to the Tour’s conservatism that the decision took months but in the end the result was as predictable as can be. There’s nothing wild about these wildcards.
André Greipel’s won two stages of the Tour of Turkey so far and there’s an interesting story behind current race leader Natnael Berhane of Eritrea. But the race isn’t over. One curiosity from the race so far has been Adam Hansen’s custom shoes. Now prototype gear gets tested in races but the difference here is that the Lotto-Belisol rider is making his own shoes.